


of snowfall, starlight, and sweet nothings

by sapphicirene



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, jiu is a sentimental bastard and sua loves it, like i promise this will give you whiplash, thats what I was going for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:21:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26667376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphicirene/pseuds/sapphicirene
Summary: minji recounts the 3 moments she was certain about how much she loved bora
Relationships: Kim Bora | SuA/Kim Minji | JiU
Comments: 9
Kudos: 109





	of snowfall, starlight, and sweet nothings

Minji uses the word “love” sparingly. She reserves it for people and things and occasions she’ll remember and cherish for her entire lifetime; the same reservation people save for the word “hate” is how she treats the word “love.” People mock her for it, but she’s been adamant about it for as long as she can remember, because she wants things she  _ loves _ to stick out to her. Minji loves her favorite candle (that smells like the beach trip she took with her family as a toddler), she loves the first cherry blossoms that bloom every Spring, and she loves Kim Bora. 

For Minji to love something, especially someone, they have to really matter. And there’s a series of moments that Minji and Bora share that she thinks about on the nights when sleep evades her. She knows that the love she feels is still blooming, it’s a soft and creeping love, one that sends a rush through her when she notices Bora’s gaze is lingering on her, or when Bora has set out another plate of her own meal for the older woman. Bora and Minji care for each other deeply, and she’s not sure when the admiration turned into adoration, when Bora became a part of her heart and not a part of her inner circle.

**snowfall**

It’s late. Minji sits silently at the girls’ shared kitchen table, the moonlight shining over her. She’s holding a pint of ice cream, shoveling small bites of the needlessly indulgent chocolate ice cream into her mouth. Usually, she would scold the other girls for doing this, but she had grabbed this carton on the way home from practice for the sole purpose of eating the entire container in one sitting. 

The upcoming comeback was taking its toll on all of the girls, and especially on Minji, as their leader. She sighs quietly into another bite, scrunching her eyes closed and trying to compartmentalize the moments of her day in preparation for a  _ hopefully _ better one tomorrow. She’s especially upset because of what happened at practice, as if it was not physically grueling enough already.

_ It was past midnight when Bora had snapped. Minji’s not sure who it was at the moment, but she heard a telltale squeak of a shoe in the wrong position, and a loud collision of bodies. She remembers Bora laying on the ground, tears pooling at the corner of her eyes in frustration and embarrassment, Yoohyeon apologizing profusely in front of her. She remembers feeling a pang at her own heart at the sight, and is taken aback when Bora begins airing out her frustration.  _

Minji walks over to her, standing in between her and Yoohyeon, who looks like she’s about to cry. As much as she feels for Bora, nothing comes before her obligation to the group.

“Bora.” Her tone is icy and unflinching. She reserves this tone for moments like this, ones where she knows she’s being inadvertently tested on her leadership abilities. “Apologize, now.”

She feels Yoohyeon’s hands settle on her shoulder blades, equally thanking her for stepping in and urging her to be calm. 

Bora’s eyes are stoic, the tears gone now. 

“Sorry, Yoohyeon.” Bora says, reluctantly. Minji can tell she’s about to add a snippy comment, which she shuts down with a quick narrow of her eyes. Bora backs down instantly.

The air in the practice room is thick and uncomfortable. The music is still blaring over the speakers, and she can see the other girls fiddling with their shoes or nails idly, hoping for a distraction.

“Practice is over.” Minji announces, walking to the wall to grab her bag. “I think everyone needs a breather. It’s cold out, so bundle up, and walk with a buddy.” She sighs on those last words, preparing her belongings to leave and fixing her hair. 

She’s pretty sure she sees Bora approaching her, but she turns her head away pointedly and stops in her tracks.

“You said to walk with someone, right?” Bora asks quietly. It’s clear she feels guilty about the whole exchange.

“Yeah. Go with one of the other girls.” Minji responds coldly, not even turning to look at her. 

She walks home alone.

…

The air is frigid and slices through her, making her teeth chatter. She wants to think that the tears ripping out of the corners of her eyes are from the wind, but she knows it’s from the way her heart still hurts, the memory of Bora’s anger and her own reaction tearing her in two. She really hates to step in like that, but it’s a burden she chose to bear. She loves all of the girls equally, and refuses to let something as miniscule as a mistake in practice affect how they act towards one another.

Yet here she was, walking home alone, and wishing she hadn’t been so callous. She thinks it’s kinda ironic she’s stuck in the bitter cold now, maybe she deserved it after the way she acted. Worst of all, she  _ knows  _ Bora would have apologized eventually. They had all stayed at the studio longer than they probably should have, and it’s no wonder tensions were so high. Minji is kicking herself, she had made so many mistakes in that instance, and she’s notoriously relentless with herself and the high standards she holds herself to. Frustrated tears continue to streak their way out of the corners of her eyes, but she’s pulled out of her harsh introspection by the feeling of snow on her shoulders.

She sighs, and her fingers tense as the air gets even colder. Shivers rack through her body, and she’s still so far from the dorm. The bright neon lights of a corner store are beckoning to her like a moth to flame, and she stops resisting the temptation and goes in to warm herself up. 

Minji walks aimlessly through the aisles of the small store, letting the heat course through her. The warmth from within the store grounds her, and she’s grateful for the distraction from her thoughts. She stops and examines the ice cream freezer. Technically, she was supposed to be cutting back on sugar, but one pint wouldn’t hurt. 

She grabs the ice cream and pays at the counter, a college student rings her up and smiles shyly at her. 

“Thank you miss, have a nice night!” The small woman says, and the genuine tone in her voice leaves Minji feeling touched.

She returns to the freezing weather outside, her long fingers curled around the handles of the plastic bag that carried tonight’s salvation. And boy, did she grip onto it. She  _ loved _ ice cream.

…

The dorm is quiet when she eventually returns, and she has been perched in one of the dining room chairs for at least an hour. On nights like these, with guilt racking her thoughts, she enjoyed watching the outside world go by. Seeing other people, observing them, brought her some peace. Knowing they all had their own lives and problems and joys and loves, it makes her feel human on a night that she was made to feel like the devil.

She scrapes at the bottom of the carton sadly, knowing that this day was coming to a close without any kind of high point. Not even her favorite ice cream could salvage her mood. 

Minji plays with the spoon in her mouth idly, and continues to stare out the window. The snow had stopped, and the entire street below was blanketed with it. The sight was serene, and it mesmerized her, eliciting a slight hum of contentment as she watched a young couple kick around the fresh snow. 

She’s removed from this state in a second, as she hears a loud clang and a yelp from somewhere behind her in the living room. 

It was Bora.

She was kneeled at the edge of the coffee table, clutching her foot and rocking back and forth, and from what Minji could tell, she had just stubbed her toe. And quite violently at that, given the sheer volume of her outburst.

Minji put down her spoon and the empty container, and delicately walked over to the younger girl. She kneels by her, and places a hand on her back, attempting to comfort her. Bora shirks away instantly, a muffled sob coming from where her head was buried in her knees.

Minji is persistent, and scoots closer to Bora, wrapping her arm around the girl’s waist. 

“Did you hurt yourself?” Minji asks quietly, leaning into Bora.

There’s another muffled noise, and Bora tries to escape Minji again.

“Let me look at it, please.” Minji says, her voice cracking. 

She knows how upset Bora is. She’s the type to internalize her frustrations until she can’t anymore, till it’s spilling out of her recklessly and venomously. Minji understands, they’ve been trying to work on it together, both for Bora and the sake of the group. But Minji also knows that this minor pain, dogpiling on top of the humiliation at the dance studio, is truly Bora’s breaking point.

“Leave me alone, you’re mad at me anyway.” Bora chokes out.

Minji pets the top of her head, and her fingers linger on the ends of her hair, brushing it out of the way so she could see a sliver of her face.

“I’m not, honey.”

Bora looks up at her, clearly taken aback by the term of endearment. Minji’s heart hurts, seeing how broken she looks. It’s her job as the leader of Dreamcatcher to piece together her girls when they’re at their lowest, and Minji, quite frankly, has never seen Bora this low. Her face is covered in smudged makeup, and her usually bright eyes are dull and sad. Tears stream down her face, and her knees had made red imprints on her forehead.

Neither woman says another word. Minji stands up, and extends her hands for Bora, who grabs them gently. The dimness in her eyes is replaced with confusion, and Minji doesn’t particularly like the way her eyebrows furrow, like Bora feels like she deserves to be left alone, broken and hurt.

Bora stands in front of her, and Minji playfully smooths out her brows with her thumbs, and the corner of Bora’s mouth twitches in a restrained smile. Minji cups her hands over Bora’s cheeks, and the younger girl looks like she's going to cry again. Bora sobs loudly, and nearly tackles Minji into a hug.

Minji knows in that moment that she loves Bora. Her fingers tangle in Bora’s hair, and she cradles her head into the nook of her shoulder as Bora finally lets everything out. When she’s done crying, Bora pulls away from Minji and tries to brush off the makeup stains she had left on the woman’s shirt, to no avail. 

Minji makes no move, and just looks at Bora. Minji loves taking care of others, it’s quite literally part of her job description, but the way she cares for Bora is raw and unyielding. She loved every part of her: the broken ones, the ones only she saw in the dead of night, the ones she reserved for Minji, the ones she displayed for the world to see. Minji  _ loved _ her.

She takes Bora’s hand in her own, and silently walks to one of their shared bathrooms. 

Minji pats the counter delicately, beckoning Bora to sit there. The younger woman obeys wordlessly, and kicks her feet off of the side of the cabinet. Minji looks sadly at her, she wishes she could take away her pain. She cups one of Bora’s cheeks in her hand, and her thumb traces over the apple of her cheek gently. Bora leans into the touch and closes her eyes, which causes some unshed tears to fall. Minji sighs, her hand shifting to move some stray hair out of Bora’s face, tucking it behind her ear.

“Can I look at those little toesies now, Bora?” Minji says with a smile, hoping her stupid joke would elicit some kind of reaction from her.

To her pleasant surprise, Bora giggles quietly and nods.

Minji grabs her foot and inspects it carefully. Nothing serious, thankfully. She disappears for a moment to grab some ice, and returns and places it gently on Bora’s angry red toes. The younger girl winces at the sensation, and Minji leans forward to kiss her forehead gingerly. Bora visibly relaxes and sighs, which makes the corner of Minji’s mouth quirk upward.

“How does it feel?”

“Cold.” Bora replies simply.

Minji huffs in response, and rolls her eyes, somehow amused at Bora’s weak attempt at lightening the mood.

“Are we.. okay?” Bora asks timidly.

Minji nods. “Yeah. I’m sorry Bora, you just know I have to step in sometimes.” It’s not a real explanation for her behavior, but it’s all she can manage without completely breaking down.

“Are you sure? You seemed…” she searches for the right word, “cold, to me, at the end of practice.”

Minji looks up at her, and sees panic swimming behind Bora’s eyes, fearing Minji’s response. 

The look in her eyes shatters Minji’s heart, a hollow pain replacing the usual tenderness and warmth reserved for when she looks at Bora. 

“N-Not that I didn’t deserve it, I was really mean to Yooh.” Bora adds.

“You did not deserve to be treated that way at all.” Minji says quietly, trying to fight the tears that well up in her eyes. She looks down, feigning distraction. “I’m really sorry, Bora.” She bites her lip, praying that Bora doesn’t see her tears.

Bora’s slender fingers ghost under Minji’s chin and pull it up, so that the two girls are looking at each other. 

“I was worried about you walking home alone. Were you cold?” Bora says, her own voice weakening as she notices the hurt and guilt clouding Minji’s features.

Minji winces. “Yeah, a little.”

Bora frowns.

“Can I keep you warm tonight?” She asks quietly, to which Minji tilts her head, confused. “I need you with me. I wanna make sure you’re not cold this time.”

Minji wets her lips and bites them. It’s not an unusual request, but she wants nothing more to deny herself Bora’s warmth and comfort to punish herself.

“Minji, please.” Bora is begging now, and Minji sees tears streak down her still makeup-stained face.

“Can I clean your face up first?” Minji says, her voice threatening to give out. 

Bora only nods.

Minji grabs a makeup wipe and swipes it over the contours of Bora’s face silently, stopping intermittently to brush away the tears that keep falling. 

“I’m so sorry, Bora.” Minji chokes out again, tears dripping down her own face now. “I did this to you.”

Bora shakes her head. 

“I’m sorry too, Minji. Please just let me fall asleep with you tonight. I want to take care of you like you’re taking care of me.” She pauses. “I know how hard it is to do what you do for all of us.”

Minji sucks in a harsh breath at those words. It really  _ is _ hard.

“Okay.” she concedes, throwing the makeup wipe away unceremoniously.

…

Bora is first into bed, and she waits for Minji to join her. The older woman squirms into her arms, allowing herself to be engulfed in Bora’s comfort. For the first time that night, she felt warm inside and out. Bora’s lips press a chaste kiss to the crown of Minji’s head, who sighs at the touch. 

The comfort she feels with Bora is enough to fully break down what little emotional barriers were left, and she feels more tears steal their way out of her eyes. Bora pulls her closer when she notices the way Minji’s shoulders tremble with her sobs.

“It’s okay, Minji. You can cry. I’m not going anywhere.”

Those words spark a flame in Minji’s heart. She feels loved by all of the girls, but not like this. Bora was always there in her times of need, on the rare occasions where she needed comfort rather than to provide it. She loves Bora for many reasons, but the raw comfort she reserves for her only is something that Minji would not trade the world for.

She eventually drifts to sleep in Bora’s arms, and wakes up feeling better than she had in weeks.

**starlight**

Minji looks to the stars for guidance. She’s not particularly attached to the science behind it, and actually finds astronomy quite boring. There’s just something so grounding about knowing there’s giant masses far away burning  _ just  _ bright enough for her to see.

Bora is aware of her habit. On the mornings that they all file out of the dorm to make their way to music shows, Bora notices how Minji lingers behind, how her eyes look towards the stars and how she fondly smiles at them, like she’s greeting an old friend. It’s become routine, Minji saying her good morning to the stars while Bora trails closely behind her. Minji looks to the stars, but all Bora sees is  _ her _ , Minji’s bright and bubbly demeanor manifesting in the small smile she reserves for the morning sky.

One morning, Minji is approached about her fascination.

“Why do you always look at the stars?” Bora asks, hooking her arm with Minji’s, and snuggling close into her side, watching the sky with her.

“They’re pretty, and I like knowing that everything about us, and this-” she waves her hands around, “-that changes, they’re always there. Just sitting up in the sky for me to admire.” Minji says, punctuating her dazed thoughts with a shy smile.

Bora smiles with her, getting on her tiptoes to press a small kiss to Minji’s temple.

“You are so cute, I hope you know that.”

Minji feels her face flush, and is unable to work up the courage to respond, though Bora’s statement didn’t really warrant a response anyway.

They walk hand in hand to the car, Bora letting her go in first. They sit in their usual seats, Minji sitting in the row in front of Bora.

The drives are always quiet, simply because of how early their commute was. Minji notes that everyone seems a little exhausted today, as it’s only 15 minutes into their drive when she hears soft snores from behind her.

She turns quietly in her seat, and is met by not one, but all three of the other girls sleeping. Minji smiles to herself and glances around the car, her gaze faltering on Bora, who has her head back at an obscene angle, and her mouth wide open in a snore. Minji’s tiny smile morphs into a grin, the sight of Bora sleeping so soundly tugs at her heartstrings and sends butterflies to her stomach.

She makes sure her flash is off, and that her phone is on silent, and steals a picture of the younger girl, feeling giddy at the thought of this moment being preserved forever.

…

Their long day is over now, and Minji has already gotten ready for bed. It’s nearly midnight, and her eyes are drooping shut. She suddenly remembers the picture of Bora she had taken in the car, and giggles to herself quietly as she examines the photo. There’s another pull at her heartstrings, and it’s nearly impossible for her to stop grinning. 

She lowers her phone to her chest when she hears the bedroom door creak open quietly.

“Minji?” Bora’s voice calls out timidly.

“Come in.” she replies.

Bora’s small frame shuffles over to Minji’s bed, and she kneels down to meet Minji at eye level.

“Are you busy?” She asks, and Minji doesn’t miss the way she nervously avoids eye contact, which worries her.

“Yeah, what’s up? Is someone hurt? Are you hurt? Is-” Bora cuts her off with a pat to her leg.

“Can you come with me?”

Minji’s eyes widen, she’s still not entirely convinced that nothing is wrong.

Bora giggles and rolls her eyes. “It’s a good thing-” she pauses, “hopefully.”

Minji only sighs, and intertwines her fingers with Bora’s as she begins to lead them out of the room. Bora’s hands are a little clammy, not that she minds, it’s just a little concerning given her refusal to explain what’s going on.

Minji is puzzled when Bora leads them into the stairwell of their building, and she pulls back on her hand a little.

“Bora, what’s going on?”

She sees the shorter girl bite her lip apprehensively. “Just trust me, okay? We’re almost there.”

She, of course, gives in and continues to follow Bora, who is now leading them up to the roof of the building, she realizes.

Bora pauses in front of the door.

“So. I know you love looking at the stars in the morning, and I don’t know if it’s just as meaningful to you at night but-” she opens the door, and Minji gasps.

There’s a picnic blanket laid on the ground, and a collection of blankets and pillows are strewn about. There’s a small tray of snacks on the ground and soft lights from some battery-powered fairy lights casts an ethereal glow over the setup. Bora had spent her time creating this, for her. And the thought of that brings tears to her eyes. 

“Oh, god, please don’t cry Minji. This was supposed to be fun!” Bora says, punching her arm.

Minji feels a tear drop to her cheek, but she’s laughing at Bora’s blatant and forced attempt to be nonchalant. Bora’s face is bright red, and a blinding smile is plastered on her face.

“So… You like it?” Bora asks, though she knows the answer already.

“Of course I do, Bora. This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me, genuinely.” Minji is beyond touched, and her heart swells both at the sight of the beautiful and cozy setup in front of her, and at the unmistakable look of pride and elation on Bora’s face. 

She knows for sure, she loves Bora.

The two girls make themselves comfortable under the blankets, holding each other and watching the stars and talking for hours. It’s everything Minji never knew she wanted, and her heart races thinking about how much this, and Bora, mean to her. 

She gazes at the stars for what seems like the millionth time, but something is different now. She’s filled with this  _ empty  _ feeling, and she can’t help but feel like something is missing. And she realizes it's Bora. She realizes how badly she wants to kiss her, to thank her for this gesture and how she makes her feel. She knows that she can’t go much longer without her, that she craves Bora in the way that the stars crave the moon’s company in the night sky. 

She  _ loves _ her.

Suddenly, Minji sits up, a wave of bravery washing over her. Bora mimics her action, concern congealing her features.

“Is something wrong?” Bora asks meekly.

Minji stares up at the stars, and sends them a silent prayer.

“Can I kiss you?”

She looks over at Bora, whose mouth is agape in shock. A rosy blush paints itself over her cheeks, and Minji is stunned at just how beautiful she is.

“You want to- to kiss me?” Bora stammers out.

“Do you  _ not _ want me to?” Minji teases.

“NO! No, I  _ do _ want you to kiss me, of course I do.” Bora says, the words leaving her mouth rapid fire.

Minji laughs her sing-song laugh, and caresses the side of Bora’s face.

“You know, you really put the stars to shame, Bora.” she says sweetly, leaning in gently to kiss her for the first time. 

  
  


**sweet nothings**

All of the girls are sitting in the waiting room before their performance. There’s a ruckus of noise and movement, as usual. Minji typically joins them, but her stage fright is always immense before the first performance of a new song, so she’s perched on one of the couches in the corner of the room observing from afar. 

She sees Bora and Siyeon laughing in front of a camera, and she can’t help but smile, their joy just as infectious as always. Bora turns around, her gaze locking on Minji.

Minji’s stomach twists into knots at the attention, and she can feel a blush rise on her face as she notices Bora’s eyes travel up and down her body. The younger girl wiggles her eyebrows, which makes Minji laugh again. 

Bora starts skipping over to Minji now, acting notably goofier than normal. She stands in front of where Minji is sitting on the couch, and rocks on the balls of her feet, waiting to be greeted. 

Minji only looks at her, one eyebrow quirking up. Bora pouts in response, stomping her feet and causing a scene. 

“HEY, hey calm down!” Minji says urgently. She grabs Bora’s arms in an attempt to end her tantrum, because she feels at least 4 different pairs of eyes searing into both of them. She forces a smile and looks around the room, and everyone looks away. They’re all used to Bora’s antics by now, but she definitely had a penchant for drawing attention to herself. 

“You didn’t say hi to me!” Bora says, forcing her lips into a deeper frown.

“Okay, okay.” Minji says, and sighs. “Hi, baby.”

Bora giggles loudly, and falls into Minji’s lap with a flourish, wrapping her arms around the back of Minji’s neck. The closeness makes Minji flush.

“Aww, you’re nervous… so cute.” Bora coos at her, pinching her cheek. “But, yeah. Hi, baby.”

Bora leans in and presses a sloppy kiss to Minji’s cheek, pulling her in so that Minji can’t escape. She laughs uncontrollably as Bora continues to make obscenely loud smacking noises in the process of plastering her cheeks with kisses.

“Oh will you stop! Wait until we’re home.” Minji says, slapping Bora’s arm playfully, though the wide grin on her face gives away how giddy she actually is.

Minji sees a mischievous glint in Bora’s eyes and she leans into Minji, her lips lingering on the shell of her ear.

“Oh, I have other things planned for home.” Bora says, accentuating her statement with a gentle nibble to Minji’s earlobe.

Minji gasps, and pushes Bora off of her playfully. Her face was extremely hot, and she was in disbelief with how easily Bora got a rise out of her. 

They’re definitely still in the honeymoon phase, but there’s something so freeing about pining after someone for so long and finally being able to express all of that repressed emotion. They made it official shortly after their stargazing date, both women too impatient to wait longer than they needed to. It’s only been a few months, but Minji finally feels at ease, like her favorite star in the sky sits alongside her in a constellation of their own.

Bora makes it easy to be so smitten, really. She’s settled on the couch with Minji now, rocking side to side aimlessly, bumping her shoulder into Minji’s arm repeatedly. Their hands are interlocked in Minji’s lap. Both women are quiet for a few minutes, and Bora fidgets with any part of Minji that she can reach. 

Minji sighs loudly.

“Hmm?” Is all Bora says.

“I’m just-”

“Nervous?” Bora finishes for her, turning to look at the older girl.

Minji nods, and she feels Bora’s thumb start to rub the back of her hand.

“You’re gonna do great! We practiced  _ so  _ hard for this and you know the choreo like the back of your hand. There’s not a doubt in my mind that you’re gonna do amazing.” She pauses to clutch at her chest dramatically, “Ah, my little star!” Bora says dreamily, nuzzling into Minji’s side. 

Minji’s heart swells with all of the praise, and she knows Bora isn’t just  _ saying  _ that stuff either, she really means it.

“Really? You think so?”

“I  _ know _ so. You know how confident I am?” Bora says, nudging her shoulder into Minji again.

“How confident?” 

“SO confident, that I’ll wager an  _ entire _ date on it. How does tteokbokki and a long, romantic stroll with this-” she gestures animatedly to herself “-sexy  _ vision  _ of a woman sound?”

Minji laughs loudly, which earns a radiant smile from Bora.

“It sounds great, honey. I’d love that.”

“Good, cause I was about to be really disappointed otherwise.” Bora says, exhaling sarcastically.

Minji slaps her on the thigh and laughs, leaning into the younger woman’s shoulder and resting her head there.

“Thank you, though, Bora. Really.”

She hears Bora inhale loudly as she presses her nose to the crown of Minji’s head, a quick kiss following suit. She can tell Bora is getting shy. 

“Babe your shampoo smells SO good, my god.” 

Minji just laughs at that, and slaps Bora’s thigh another time. Bora laughs along with her, and leans her head onto Minji’s. Bora shifts their entwined fingers to her own lap now. It’s quiet for a moment, and Minji basks in the feeling of wholeness and warmth.

“Anything for you, Minji.” Bora says quietly.

The sincerity in her voice makes Minji melt.

The two girls sit like this for a few more minutes until they’re interrupted both by their members and the stage call. 

They all file out carefully, and Minji is tapped on the shoulder. She turns around to see Yoohyeon smiling warmly at her.

“You know, you and Bora are so cute together.”

Minji blushes severely. “O-Oh, thank you. I’m glad you guys are so supportive.”

She remembers when her and Bora had decided to break the news to the other members.

_ They all had gathered in the living room, Minji calling them for a group meeting. It was incredibly rare for her to do so, and the hushed whispers between the girls and the stiff posture was telling of the tension lingering in the air. They sat in a circle, with their legs crossed. Bora, of course, taking the spot next to Minji, with Yubin being on Minji’s other side. _

_ “So.” Minji says, and clasps her hands together. The color drains from her face as 6 pairs of eyes watch her attentively. Out of the corner of her eyes, she sees Bora smirk.  _

_ “Umm… so..” Minji starts again. _

_ She sees the grin on Bora’s face get wider, and Minji turns to face her. _

_ “Do you have something to say, Bora?” _

_ The younger woman’s face blanches, and her eyes widen. _

_ “No. Sorry.” _

_ Minji has to try her hardest to squash the smile that threatens to show on her lips. _

_ “Okay. So what I’m trying to say here is that me and Bora are.. dating.” She finally squeaks out. She taps her fingertips together anxiously, putting on a forced smile while she waits for the other girls to react. _

_ It’s not that she’s nervous about what they’ll say, because she knows they’re supportive of each other no matter what. What she  _ does _ worry about, though, is how badly they’re both gonna get teased for it. _

_ Minji looks around the circle, and notices that none of the women seem to react at all. _

_ Siyeon is the first to speak up. “Is anyone here shocked, really?” _

_ There's a series of synchronized head shakes. _

_ “Nope. Not at all.” Gahyeon butts in. _

_ Yubin just sighs, and Yoohyeon and Handong have beaming smiles on their faces. _

_ Minji looks to Bora, who looks equally as shocked as she feels, a matching blush painting itself on both of their faces. _

_ “Oh.” Minji says. _

_ “Is that it?” Yubin says. _

_ “Yeah... “ Minji replies, somehow more humiliated by this entire encounter than she expected to be. “Is that okay with you all though?” she continues. _

_ The other girls all murmur in agreement and mutual nonchalance. _

_ “It’s sure fine by ME!” Bora quips. She throws her arm over Minji’s shoulder, and a proud smile stretches across her lips. _

_ The quiet agreement turns into a collective, exasperated sigh, which makes Minji burst into laughter. She’s relieved that she has Bora by her side, and that all of the girls she loves so dearly are accepting of her and Bora’s relationship. _

“Of course. We love you both.” Yoohyeon says simply, her eyes crinkling into little crescents. 

Minji is about to turn back around, to face the stage, but she notices Bora poke out of line to give her a huge smile and two thumbs up. The sight makes her beam, and gives her the extra strength she needs to overcome her stage fright.

Minji ends up giving a stellar performance, hitting every part of the strenuous choreo and nailing all of her lines. She walks offstage, thoroughly huffing and trying to recover her breath, when Bora runs up to her and jumps onto her, clinging onto her in an overwhelming bear hug. It knocks both of them to the ground, and Bora is hovering over her.

“You did SO great!” She says, a radiant smile on her face.

“So did you!” Minji says, “That dance break, WOW!”

Bora hums proudly, and kisses the tip of Minji’s nose.

A drip of sweat falls off of Bora’s face and lands on Minji’s, and she laughs at the sensation. Bora stands up with a jolt, and helps Minji up to her feet.

“So… That means I get to take you out on the BEST date now, huh?” 

“As if you wouldn’t anyway…” Minji teases.

Bora lets out an exasperated sigh and slaps her arm gently.

…

This becomes a routine. Bora’s accustomed to cheering Minji on, whispering encouragement and praise to her before every performance they have, and Minji is endlessly grateful for it. 

Minji, with Bora’s reassurance, performs with a passion and a fire that she’s never experienced before, and fans and her members alike take notice. It’s not that she wasn’t trying before, because that is the farthest possible thing from the truth, it’s just that having Bora’s unending support ignites a need within her to exceed expectation. Bora pushes her to be better, and Minji is not one to step away from a challenge; especially one that ends in heady kisses and sweet nothings.

Minji does her best to return the favor, leaving notes around the dorm in places she knows Bora frequents, small encouragements and affirmations of love. She knows when Bora finds them, too, because she’ll hear a loud squeal and an immediate pounding of feet running towards wherever Minji is, which always ends up in her being showered in kisses. Not that she’s complaining, of course.

Minji loves taking care of all of her girls, but at the end of the day, when she crawls into bed with Bora and falls asleep in her arms, she knows she’s home. 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading!! <3 if u wanna leave me some thoughts or come yell at me...  
> curiouscat.me/jiuphemisms  
> twitter: @jiuphemisms


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